Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman wants to make one thing clear about her character in the upcoming drama-thriller, Stoker. "She's not evil," she says in front of several journalists while sipping from a glass of water inside a conference room at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. "She’s just starved for love and has a child that she doesn’t connect with."

In the first English-language film from director Park Chan-Wook (Oldboy), Kidman plays Evie, a widow whose teenage daughter India (Mia Wasikowska) forms an odd bond with an estranged uncle played by the mesmerizing Matthew Goode. That's about all I can say about the atmospheric and haunting drama, written by Wentworth Miller (attention, Prison Break fans) that opens in select theaters today.

As a matter of fact, it was the director that was the main draw for the Oscar-winning actress: “For me, it was primarily about the
combination of the cast and it being spearheaded by a director Park. I knew his
films, and I wanted to work with him. I just thought the combination of this
script and with his direction would be really unusual. I saw it for the first
time at Sundance last week, and I was like, ‘Wow.’ Which is a great reaction to
have.”

Director Park, who sits with his translator a few seats away from the actress, turns to look at her, confused.

“A good wow. Not a bad wow," she clarifies with a laugh.

Matthew Goode concurs: “Of course it
was about Director Park and these ladies to my left, but the role was so
psychologically interesting, and you got to go on a little trip for it. It was
brilliant and wonderful."

When asked how he would sum up the character of Uncle Charlie, Goode offers, "He's a fucked-up Peter Pan."

Mia Wasikowska nods in agreement: “For me it was the same…and just that India
was a different character from what I’ve played before, so I was excited about
that.”

Despite the language barrier between the cast and their director, the universal language of film manifested itself in interesting and unique ways. “It was really easy," Goode recalls. "After the Skype chat I
had with director Park, which lasted about an hour…I didn’t really think
about.”

“There are times when you have to clarify
words," explains Kidman, "obviously because different particular words mean certain things,
so a lot of times it would be just me going, ‘Is this exactly what he wants?’
because in translation, things can get lost. So I was just very specific with
him.”

Park (via translater): “Actors are professionals
who deal with people’s emotions and their thoughts, so working with this great,
intelligent, smart cast meant that sometimes you only had to start speaking a
word, and these wonderful actors would immediately catch on to what I want to
portray, how I want them to act, so communication was no issue.”

With an actor (Miller) writing the script, one has to wonder if the cast responded differently to the work of one of their own.

“I think a good script is a good script," Wasikowska says. "I
thought it was amazing the first time I read it and was instantly drawn into
this world and these really complex characters and the mystery within all of
them.”

For Kidman, she had to read it a couple of time to fully grasp the nature of the film: "It’s got a lot of subtext and layers, soI just
wanted to absorb what the overall feeling of it was. I think the strength of
director Park is his atmosphere. He creates incredible atmosphere. And this
script relies heavily on the language of the images because there’s not a lot
of dialogue, and so the cinematic language of it has to be very very strong...and his use of color
and sound is all very specific and not by chance, and that is something that
fills in a script like this.”

Overall, director Park hopes that the movie will be interpreted in as many ways as possible. While it's been described as a movie about “bad blood” and what makes it bad, he thinks it also shows how evil can be contagious. Wait for the third act, and you'll see what he means.

The entire cast was amazed by the results after watching the film for the first time earlier this year.

“I’m not sure what genre it fits into," Kidman says. "It’s
hard to define it. But I was amazed at the filmmaking. You don’t see that kind
of filmmaking anymore…That sort of detailed filmmaking is really hard to do and
not have it be pretentious."

Mia recalls what she called her best day of filming, an intense and pivotal piano scene during which India and Charlie play side by side and fall deeper into their relationship. The song they play was written by famed composer Phillip Glass. “I really liked it because I felt like I
didn’t have to do much because we had the playback going," she remembers, "and it was such an
intense piece, and I think we listened to it all day...When the music is there, you
almost don’t have to do much except surrender to it, and all the feeling and
emotion I felt was in the piece.”

And if you're wondering, both Wasikowska and Goode actually played.

MG: “We were able to play good little sections and
then give director Park options to shoot from behind. But it’s always nice to be
able to see, because we all know the language of film and we all know that when
you see someone playing you’re like, ‘Oh, they’re not playing that,’ and it
shows that they are...I think the piano scene works because there was an
element of trust."

“When the DVD comes out," Park says, "if you watch the
film multiple times, you’ll be amazed to find two things: first is how much of
the actual playing of the piano was done by Matthew and Mia and secondly, not
only that, but how much acting was going on there as well. They were working
trying focus on getting their fingers just right, but at the same time, they
perfectly encapsulated the emotion of the characters during those moments.”

It's tough being a girl. Not that I know... I can only surmise. But c'mon guys have it easy; shave, shower, toss on a white shirt & a dark suit & bounce. With women the choices are endless. It's all about prep. And execution.

These are the ladies who pulled it all together & looked ridiculously chic while doing it. The best dressed women of 2007:

9) Milla Jovovich - The hottest Model-Actress in the game. Her movies don't do well but no one gives face & outfits like Milla. And her fashion line Jovovich-Hawk is covetable. J'adore her in the Chanel ads...

Milla Jovovich

8) Sofia Coppola - The queen of the cool girls. Marc's best gal pal is a talented filmmaker, Hollywood royalty & mixes vintage, designer & new labels unlike anyone else. She is year in & year out one of the world's most stylish women.

Sofia Coppola

7) Jessica Alba - I'm not a fan of her as an actor per se. Has she been good in a movie yet? Wait...I did like her in Sin City. Anyway she dresses like a lady & does easy, breezy, beautiful better than any other young actress in La La Land.

Jessica Alba

6) Naomi Campbell & Liya Kebede - Two of the top models in the world. Two of the best bodies in the business. Two of the chicest girls ever. When everything looks good on you, this is how you should wear it.

Naomi Campbell/Liya Kebede (inset)

5) Jennifer Lopez - Please ignore that horrid Roberto Cavalli designed nightmare she wore in concert. Please refer to the wonderful white gown she wore to the 2007 Movies Rock event. She looked like a goddess.

3) Rachel Roy - No I didn't say Ray (who desperately needs a make-better), I said Roy. Remember this name. She's not just Damon Dash's exotic wife. Rachel Roy is gorgeous. She exudes style & oozes class. And I love when a designer doesn't limit herself to wearing her own designs, even though her line is fantastic. She just looks rich. And chic.

Rachel Roy

2) Cate Blanchett - Beautiful. Intelligent. Strong. Witty. All the things she brings to her performances she brings to her amazing personal style. An awesome Aussie.

1) Kate Moss - Kate is a modern muse. Shrunken blazers, vintage designer, clutches, flats, skinny jeans, menswear; if she didn't start a trend she wore it better & before anyone else. More covers, more campaigns & more personal style than anyone. Period.

Kate Moss

So there you have 11 women who made it easy to look glorious in 2007. If I had more slots I'd add Lisa Airan, Keira Knightley, Carolina Herrera & her daughter Junior, Renee Zellweger, Michelle Obama & toss in a little Queen Rania of Jordan too.
M*

Note

*This website and the ideas expressed therein are not endorsed by or are in any way affiliated with The Hollywood Company LLC or its HOT IN HOLLYWOOD television show or brand.
Hotter In Hollywood claims no credit for any images featured on this site unless otherwise noted. All visual content is copyright to it's respectful owners. Hotter In Hollywood is in no way responsible for, or has control of, the content of any external web site links. Information on this site may contain errors or inaccuracies; the site's proprietors do not make warranty as to the correctness or reliability of the site's content.
If you own rights to any of the images, and do not wish them to appear here, please contact us and they will be promptly removed.